Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week
A conversation with Jordan Cockram, Trainee Machinist.
When Jordan Cockram talks about his role at Oracle Precision, he doesn’t dress it up. He’s straightforward, quietly confident, and clearly proud of how far he’s come.
“I didn’t really plan to go into engineering,” he admits. “At college I was doing carpentry. Engineering wasn’t really on my radar.”
Fast forward a few years and Jordan is a trained machinist, working across multiple machines and departments, contributing to components used in automotive, aerospace and medical applications, and doing it through an apprenticeship route that’s helped shape both his career and his confidence.
As part of National Apprenticeship Week, Jordan’s story is a reminder that there’s no single ‘right’ path into engineering, and that sometimes the best opportunities are the ones you didn’t see coming.
Finding engineering by accident, and taking the leap
Jordan’s journey into machining didn’t begin with a lifelong ambition to be an engineer. Instead, it started with curiosity and a willingness to give something new a go.
“I was looking online after finishing college and came across an opportunity on Facebook,” he explains. “I decided to go for the interview, and that’s where it all started.”
The process, he says, was refreshingly straightforward. No intimidating barriers. No pressure to already know everything. “At that point, I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Jordan says. “But I thought I’d give it a go.”
That decision turned into an apprenticeship, which Jordan has now completed, with his final assessment just around the corner.
Learning on the job, and growing fast
Jordan joined Oracle Precision in July 2023. Like most apprentices, he arrived with limited experience and a lot to learn. “When I first started, I didn’t really know much,” he says honestly. “Some of the other apprentices already had engineering backgrounds.”
What made the difference wasn’t what he knew on day one, but the environment he stepped into. “My line manager supported me a lot,” Jordan explains. “He helped me understand how everything worked, especially the machinery. That support early on made a massive difference.”
Now, with nearly three years under his belt, Jordan’s confidence has grown alongside his technical skills. “I understand most of the work now,” he says. “We all learn from each other. That’s a big part of it.”
Working across different machines and areas has helped him build a broad skill set, and a sense of ownership in the work he produces.
From machine shop to real-world impact
For Jordan, one of the most rewarding parts of his role is knowing that the components he machines don’t just stay in the factory. “The most rewarding thing is knowing that what I make goes out into the world and helps people,” he says. “Whether that’s automotive, medical or aerospace.”
That connection between day-to-day work and real-world outcomes has become more important as the work itself becomes more complex. “The work’s getting more advanced,” Jordan says. “And there’s more focus on helping people, especially in medical areas. That’s exciting.”
It’s a shift that gives extra meaning to the precision, care and responsibility required in his role, and reinforces why apprenticeships in manufacturing matter.
A team that helps you discover what you’re capable of
Ask Jordan what’s helped him develop most since joining, and he doesn’t talk about machines or qualifications first. He talks about people. “The team spirit is really strong,” he says. “Everyone supports each other.”
That supportive culture has helped Jordan grow in ways he didn’t expect. “I’ve developed skills I didn’t even know I could have before starting here,” he says.
For an apprentice, that combination, high expectations and strong support, is powerful. It builds confidence, resilience and a belief that you belong in the industry.
Looking ahead with confidence and advice
As Jordan looks to the next few years, he’s optimistic. “There are lots of opportunities ahead,” he says. “The work’s becoming more complex, and that keeps it interesting.” It’s a long way from where he started, unsure of what came next after college.
So what would Jordan say to someone thinking about an apprenticeship but feeling unsure? “Just go for it,” he says. “It can be scary at first because you don’t know what to expect. But if you put your mind to it, you can do it.”
He’s clear that nobody has it all figured out, regardless of experience. “Everyone faces challenges, no matter how experienced they are,” Jordan adds. “So it’s always worth trying.”
Jordan Cockram’s journey is exactly what National Apprenticeship Week is about: opening doors, building confidence, and showing that real careers are built through experience as much as education. Sometimes all it takes is seeing an opportunity, saying yes, and backing yourself to learn along the way.
